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# Setup Approval Levels - Old DPO Design

Use the Approval Levels feature to define automated, multi-step approval chains based on PO value, department, or user roles. This ensures purchase orders are reviewed by the right people without manual handovers — saving time and increasing control. This guide shows you how to configure the chain, assign approvers, and customize workflows for your organization.

||| **Already using DPO's new design?** [You can find the corresponding article here](https://help.digitalpurchaseorder.com/en/article/setup-approval-levels-in-dpo-14q101t/)


### Approval levels are applied separately in the Admin settings for:
[Approval Levels (P.O.s)](https://digital-purchase-order.crisp.help/en/article/approval-levels-po-1kwtj5v/)
[Invoices](https://digital-purchase-order.crisp.help/en/article/invoices-cnlzt6/)
[Expenses](https://digital-purchase-order.crisp.help/en/article/expenses-1wl701f/)

### How User Assignment and Approval Levels Work in DPO
There are two ways to set up user approvals depending on whether a user should only approve certain invoices, P.O. or Expenses.

**Approving only for assigned departments:**

1. In the user settings, assign the appropriate [departments](https://digital-purchase-order.crisp.help/en/article/departments-baa82e/)
2. Activate the checkbox **“Approval by Department only”** in the approval levels

**Approving across all departments:**

* If a user, typically a Production Manager, should see and approve everything, leave the **“Approval by Department only”** box unchecked
* Place them in a different approval level

|| If departments are used, do not place a user who is assigned to departments and a user without departments in the same approval level.


![](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/7/e/f/8/7ef8b3dbb012a000/screenshot-2025-09-15-at-13281_1mxyqke.png)

### Approval Rules and Department Settings

* Users can set up [**custom email notifications**](https://kb.digitalpurchaseorder.com/en/accountsettings) in their account to be informed about activities such as new documents or approval requests
* When a **P.O., Expense, or Invoice is created within a department**, all users assigned to that department in their profile, as well as any users without a department who hold approval level 1, 2, 3, etc. in the approval chain, **will be required to approve it.**
* If you **need to limit a user’s access** within a department, **create** a **separate department**. For instance, **if two people work in the same department** **but shouldn’t see each other’s items**, place them in **different departments**
* If you **do not enter a department in Invoices or Expenses**, the approval chain will be followed with **all assigned users, without any conditions.**
* **Note:** If a **person appears twice in the approval chain**, their **second appearance will be skipped** automatically
* **Approval Levels by Amount**: You can create approval levels that apply only to amounts **under** or **over** a specified value, giving you greater control over the approval process. This option can be added directly when setting up the approval level
 
### How to Build an Approval Chain

|| This example is based on the setup for Expenses but works essentially the same for P.O.s and Invoices. 

1. Open **Administration > Approval Levels (P.O.)**, **Invoices**, or **Expenses** tab
2. Choose the number of approval levels you need (e.g. 1, 2, 3)
3. Click **“+ Add Approval”** to add additional approval levels


![](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/7/e/f/8/7ef8b3dbb012a000/screenshot-2025-09-16-at-11331_h3qyk5.png)


4. Arrange approval levels using the **up and down arrows** to reorder them as needed
5. **View assigned approvers** by clicking the **person icon** to see which users are included in the approval workflow



![](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/7/e/f/8/7ef8b3dbb012a000/screenshot-2025-09-16-at-11355_o314zq.png)


| **Tip:** Approval levels can also be assigned in the user profile, but core settings like department restrictions or amount-based rules can only be configured directly in the approval level.

6. Search for the user’s name in the **“Add New Approver”** field on the right
7. Click the **plus (+)** icon to add the user to the approval level
8. If multiple users are assigned to the same approval level and department, the** first available user **will complete the approval



![](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/7/e/f/8/7ef8b3dbb012a000/screenshot-2025-09-16-at-08033_9kopj4.png =875xauto)

9. You can assign multiple approvers to the same approval level
10. Enable **Approval by Department** if the user should only approve P.O.s, invoices or Top Sheets within their assigned department

|| If the person icon is blinking red, it means the checkbox is ticked but the person in the approval level has no department assigned


![](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/7/e/f/8/7ef8b3dbb012a000/screenshot-2025-09-16-at-11370_n6wgho.png)

11. For each approval level, set conditions using the drop-down menu
* **Applies to all** Purchase Orders, Invoices, or Top Sheets
* **(Applies to special P.O.s only)**
* If** Purchase Orders, Invoices, or Top Sheets** net total is equal to or greater than [amount]
* If** Purchase Orders, Invoices, or Top Sheets** net total is less than [amount]

12. Make sure every approval level has at least one user assigned.
13. Once all levels are assigned, the automated approval workflow will be activated.
14. **Save your changes **


 ![](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/7/e/f/8/7ef8b3dbb012a000/screenshot-2025-09-16-at-11382_j9od8a.png)


**Any Questions?**
Our support team is happy to help:
Email: support@digitalpurchaseorder.com
Phone: +1 888 376 7254
[Or schedule a free demo](https://calendly.com/d/gpk-ppc-rjg) – we look forward to hearing from you